The Kingmaker System-Chapter 44 - 43. Growing Pains (1)

Davian seemed to be in a somber mood for the next two days as only Sir Adler and the Aide Ethan Liswith were the ones who contacted with me while we stayed at the castle.

"We are going to the Fourth Wall today." Sir Adler announced as Lyall and I met up with him for our breakfast.

"Fourth Wall?" I asked as I ate the pancakes.

"It’s the Northernmost wall," Sir Adler started, "there are basically four towers which are the fence-line of the territory. Fourth Wall is especially important since it is connected to the rift in the mountain that becomes a pathway for the rogues to come in our territory."

Sir Adler pointed at the map that he had brought along and I and Lyall looked at the place which he was showing us.

"This place here, we will go over there and check the perimeters of the borders and take out the rogues."

"How rare is a seige?" I asked.

"As rare as a blue moon." Adler answered.

I nodded and then looked once again at the mountain ranges on the map where the rifts and the trenches were pointed.

"Can I have this map?" I asked.

"Sure."

"And please hurry, we will be leaving in an hour."

Sir Adler left the room and I and Lyall exchanged a glance before we continued our breakfast.

I and Lyall walked down the corridor and I spotted Davian a few feet away with his Aide Ethan Liswith talking about something.

"I will get it done as soon as possible, Your Grace."

"Good morning, Your Grace." I and Lyall greeted him as we went close and Davian met my eyes. He was dressed warmly but his face and neck was flushed red, maybe it was because this morning was especially cold.

"Good morning," his greeting was so dry that I wondered if I was in the middle of Sahara.

*Are you headed to the Fourth Wall?" Ethan asked.

"Yes."

"I wish you a safe day, Sir Ocean and Mr Lyall." He seemed like a good person.

"Thank you, you’re really kind, Baron Liswith." I smiled.

Davian looked at me and frowned slightly before he mumbled something which eluded Ethan and Lyall.

My dragon senses allowed me to hear his words.

"He’s dressed too thinly."

I decided not to reply as he seemed to be putting a cold front for me.

"Then, I’ll see you in evening, Your Grace." I bowed before Davian with a smile before I pulled the muffler I was wearing.

"Excuse me, Your Grace." I said as I stepped closer to him making him look at me with cautious eyes.

"What-"

I placed my muffler around his exposed neck and tied a loose knot making him look at me with a questioning gaze.

"What is this?"

"Isn’t it warm?" I smiled watching the child in front of me.

I couldn’t come to you on time but now that I was here, I might as well fix your problems before I return.

"Have a good day, Your Grace." I said before I and Lyall started walking away.

I looked at the amount of Seraph Knights who were going to be along with us, most of them were the same ones who were at the Iker town.

"Oh, it’s Sir Ocean!" I heard a familiar chirpy voice and instantly felt a heavy weight of someone jumping on my back.

I almost reacted on instinct but restrained myself as I saw Stephan’s face over my shoulder. He was grinning widely.

"How dare you!" Lyall growled and I gestured him to calm down.

"I almost broke your arm, Stephan don’t pounce on me from behind." I warned him with a smile and he snickered.

"Eh, you will break my arm with your feeble stick-like hands?" He joked as he looked at my thin arms.

"I sure can, Sir Stephan." Lyall spoke up as he placed his hand over Stephan’s shoulder.

"Please don’t jump on my Master like that again, or you will lose your arm."

"As if you would do that." Stephan egged him on.

"Shall I show you then?" Lyall cracked his knuckles.

"Huh? You want to go!"

I didn’t know how good a fighter Stephan was but I could still see him locking dirty in the fight against Lyall.

"Calm down, boys." I broke the fight before it started.

"And Stephan," I said as I turned to him and placed my hand on his shoulder.

"If you really don’t want to lose your arm don’t fight with Lyall."

"Hah! You think he could really beat me?"

An adolescent like Stephan who had grown up training only with his teacherss wouldn’t know what it was like to fight in the wilderness and know the nature of the animals and then to fight with the people who were worse than demons.

Lyall in every sense was superior to Stephan.

"You know why a diamond is the hardest thing in the world?" I asked.

"Because it endures the pressure of being buried deep within the earth which is around 50,000 times than that of the surface along with the infernal heat of the lava that none other thing can endure. After all this hellish journey, a diamond is formed."

"A human’s achievements are the same, it is based on the hardships they go through and how it forms them."

I looked once at Lyall, "Lyall is the one person whom I know had gone through a lot and I will make sure that he keeps improving by throwing the tests at him to make him become even stronger than he is."

"We’re moving!" Sir Adler announced and the knights around started moving.

I patted on Stephan’s shoulder before I got on my chocolate brown mare who neighed softly.

We started moving and I noticed as how Stephan looked slightly tensed, he would have to see it for himself for my words to make any sense to him.

"How come there are the frequent attacks inside the territory if there are walls?" I asked Sir Adler as I walked beside him.

"The walls may be impenetrable but sometimes someone’s will stronger than that" Sir Adler said and I frowned as he didn’t explain ahead.

"It doesn’t make sense." I said and he sighed.

"It was around... Six months ago that a wall was breached." Adler started and I looked at him.

"Breached?"

"Yes, the Third Wall was breached. There was an explosion but we never caught the perpetrator and since then these rogues have been getting inside. His Grace, the previous Grand Duke and Grand Duchess went to investigate and ended up following the trail of the culprit till the mountains but the sudden blizzard..." He sighed and shook his head.

I frowned a little as I recalled that the information that I had gotten said that the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess went out for expedition and ended up getting hit by the blizzard in the mountains.

Something wasn’t adding up here.

If the nobles of the capital knew that a wall was breached then they would be doing everything they could to drag the name of Montaire family through the dirt yet, it was so quiet in the rest of the kingdom.

This might be a secret from everyone outside the territory which was why they were facing even more trouble.

But who could have broke the wall?

"We’re here." Adler said making me look up at the large wall that now towered in front of us.

"Sir Weiner, take your squadron and go ahead. Sir Ocean and the rest will go with me on top of the wall." Adler ordered and a team of knights parted from us and went towards the gate.

The rest of us followed Adler up the stony stairs towards the top of the wall. The rush of the cool wind made my hood fall back and my blue hair to dance freely.

I inhaled deeply and stood at the stony railing watching the skeletal woods that were engulfed by the snow. I saw the knights who were outside trodding through the snow.

The mountain range before me still seemed quite far away but with the accumulated snow it was still hard to discern the landscape. But that would also be an advantage for the rogue shifters.

I activated my Mana Eyes and wondered if the Grand Duke and Duchess would be alive somewhere.

The walls seemed quite strong so, it wouldn’t be easy to break them there must be a foul play.

"These walls will also work at times of avalanche."

"That’s correct." I looked at Adler who stood beside me.

"These walls have been a great shield for us for a long time."

"Have you not investigated the third wall again?" I asked and Adler’s jaw clenched.

"After... His Grace and the Lady disappeared it had been quite a disaster in the territory and our Young Master took up the position in such times. It’s already a lot to take care of so... the investigation-"

I frowned as I leaned ahead as I saw the movement under the snow near where a knight was. I could see the form of something that was concealed underneath the snow.

"What’s-"

I didn’t hear Adler’s voice as I activated my wings and jumped over the railing.

"Wait, what-"

I shot towards the knight just in the nick of the moment as a snow leopard pounced from the snow and I landed my foot over its head making it fly away. Its head got caved in as it rolled onto the snow and lay still with its blood seeping into the white snow.

The horse jumped away making the knight fall off the horse but thankfully on the knee deep snow.

I placed my hand over the horse’s side making it calm down while the knight stood up.

"Wha-What the hell was that?" He dusted away the snow from his armour.

"Sir Brown, are you all right?" The knights close by hurried over.

"I-I’m fine." Sir Brown spoke as he looked at his fellow knights and then at me.

"Ho-How did you get here?" Sir Ivan asked.

"Y-You were on top of the wall!" Sir Zayn shouted.

"Di-Did you just fly?"

"He flew! I saw!"

The knights started prancing about while I looked at the mountains that stood before me like huge and colossal titans that were capable of dominating me.

"Master!" I heard Lyall’s shout as he ran towards me.

"Are you all right?" He asked me and I looked at him.

"Stay with them, I’ll go back to the wall." I said and started walking without another word.

I had a strange feeling.